Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder
by girltogirl
Summary: You and Faye never got along well, and neither of you ever seemed to care about the other. But here you are, wanting so badly for her to be okay, and you don't care whatever else happens, as long as she's alive.
1. Too Late

**A/N: Picks up from episode 1x21. Enjoy! **

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Faye's P.O.V.

Pain shoots through you, sharp as a knife, and you scream. Your scream echos around the room, bouncing off the walls. You bend down on the cold, hard floor, clutching yourself tightly. It feels like you're being ripped from the inside out. The pain unfurls itself throughout your body, and you choke back tears, squeezing your eyes shut. You want it to end, you want your life to end, as long as the pain's gone. But it remains inside of you, tearing you down, surrounding you from the inside. You want to scream again, but you know it won't do you any good. No one can hear your cries, your pleas. No one can save you now.

You hear the cold laugh of Eben, and you manage to open your eyes, only to see him looking down at you with cold, hard eyes and a mocking sneer. Not a sign of sympathy or guilt. You want to yell at him to let you go, but you can't speak. Instead you grit your teeth and squirm slightly, trying to hold the pain in, but it's killing you, tearing you down. You don't know what's right and what's wrong. You can't think about anything besides the pain shooting through your body. It controls you, takes over you. It's a monster. You moan, the tears starting to fall.

And suddenly, the pain's gone, and you're left with an empty feeling. A beautiful feeling of nothing. You lay down on the floor, panting and shaking. You allow a few sobs to escape your soar throat, but nothing more. You whimper, "P-please..." And of course, the scarred, demon/witch/human doesn't bat an eye, just glances down at you, coldly. You turn your gaze away from the hateful man, and concentrate on the floor patterns, waiting for the next blow. You breathe in and out, trying to steady yourself, trying to calm yourself.

You tell yourself to think about her. It's always been her, in the end, who's kept you in control. You close your eyes, picturing her in your mind.

Suddenly, you feel the sharp edge of a knife at your throat, and you freeze. You feel his hot breath on your face, and a growl sounds from close to your ear. He grabs you by the neck and stands you upright. He marches you over to a nearby wall and shoves you hard against it, smacking your head against it. You can feel the blood trickling down, and the room starts to spin. You don't do anything except stand there, numb, unmoving. The room suddenly feels a thousand degrees colder.

You don't remember the last time you were this terrified. Maybe it's because you never were. All you know is you need to stay strong, stay strong for her. You have to put on your best brave face.

Eben glares at you, pure hatred showing in his eyes. You give him your best smirk, and challenge him, telling him that he's weak.

He lunges at you, knife in hand, ready to kill. You twist away and run from him, but not fast enough. He jumps and lands on top of you, crashing you to the floor. You lay there, silently, as he holds a chunk of your hair, silver blade close to the throat. He whispers in your ear that he'll kill you if you try anything stupid.

And that's when you know your life is going to end, and there's nothing you can do about it.

And that's the moment you pause reality and think about her. Not telling her is the only regret you have. You regret not telling her soon enough. Not telling her what you've kept inside for months, maybe years. And you need to, you need her to know how much she means to you. But you know you'll never get the chance now. And you have no one to blame for your stupidity but yourself.

Why hadn't you told her yet? _Because you're a coward, _a voice whispers in your ear.

You feel more tears starting to form, and you feel panic rising up in your chest. You can't die now; you have so much to live for. You can't die now, you can't. You need to tell her, before it's too late.

He releases you, and you back away, slowly. He still glares at you through narrow, black eyes. The eyes that dare you to move one more step. And you do. He shouts and chants something in a different language, holding out his arms in your direction. You freeze, waiting for the next dose of pain to come shooting through your body, and when it does, you manage to keep yourself from screaming again, but just barely.

Somewhere in the back of your mind, you wish the same pain on Eben that he's doing to you. A taste of his own medicine.

And that's exactly what happens. Eben screams, and drops his hands, falling to the floor. The pain in you dies down, slowly. You don't even know what's happening, other than you need to get the fuck out of there, before he tries to kill you again. You watch him squirm on the floor, crying out, begging for forgiveness. And you laugh at him; that's all you can do.

You turn and sprint as fast as you can out of the building, out of the demon's hiding spot. You have to run slowly, because the pain takes over your body, still, and there's nothing you can do.

You realize that you need to call someone, to tell them where you are. You pat your pockets for your phone, only to realize it's not there. It must've fallen out while you were struggling in the building. Panic builds inside of you again, deeper this time, as you realize you have no idea where you are, and you can't call anyone for help.

You walk through the woods aimlessly, hoping to eventually run into some sort of civilization. It is nighttime now, and the full moon blasts silver through the tree branches, creating patterns of shadow everywhere. You shiver, wishing you have a jacket. You feel tears coming, but quickly blink them away, and you swallow the lump that's beginning to rise in your throat. You just want to go home. You admit to yourself how childish that sounds, but you don't care. At the moment, you're not Faye Chamberlain, badass resident of Chance Harbor High School, the principal's daughter, a _witch; _you're just a lost, scared teenager. A teenager who's in love with another girl.

You feel trapped and enclosed in the woods, knowing you can't find your way out, and you're terrified. You want to see her again, you want to be with her. The desire burns in your heart, and you have a hard time swallowing. You know she will never feel the same way, but she needs to know. You can't keep hiding this from her any longer. It's just going to rip into you and destroy you.

A crow caws loudly and flies past you, almost knocking into you. You scream out of surprise, your heart pounding. You flinch at the sudden hoot of an owl. You turn around nervously when you hear the crunching of dead leaves and grass. You're still walking when your foot bumps into something.

You frown, and look down. What you see makes you gasp.

And that's when the blackness takes over. Your eyes roll in the back of your head, as you fall to the ground. And the last word that leaves your lips is, "Diana."


	2. Now Or Never

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews! **

**By the way, when I wrote the first chapter, I didn't know where Faye was held captive, exactly. But now that I know, I changed her setting in the story. **

**Also, I'm so upset that TSC got cancelled. My favorite show. I'm still in denial. But I promise I'll keep writing. Long live The Secret Circle! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Secret Circle, but one can wish, right?**

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Diana's P.O.V.

The first five seconds after you wake up, you don't know where you are or what you're doing. Then you glance to your left and see Grant. You smile at him when you realize you've slept in his car with your head leaned on his shoulder for two hours.

He's about to speak, but you tell him to wait, begging to know if you've been asleep for two days and you're halfway across the country. He smirks and shakes his head at you, saying that you fell asleep two hours ago. You feel slightly disappointed; you just want to leave Chance Harbor. Away from the witches, away from Blackwell, away from your own father.

You smile when he smiles after you say something funny, then you feel your phone vibrate. You groan, apologizing, and Grant says your phone's been buzzing all night, and he's glanced over a couple of times, to see something about Faye and Eben.

As soon as you hear that, you feel your heart lurch in your chest. You know that can't be good. You check your new text:

**Cassie Blake: CALL ME ASAP!**

You roll your eyes, and apologize to Grant again. He wants to take you across the country, and you want him to. But first, you need to deal with Eben and the circle. You ask Grant to take you by the woods, and he asks why, but you shrug him off. You can't let him know about the abandoned house, of course.

He drops you off and you promise to call him. Once he drives off, you begin walking in the direction of the abandoned house. You walk as quickly as you can, ducking your head every so often to avoid hitting your head on branches. You reach the abandoned house, and walk inside. Cassie is pacing back and forth. Melissa is sitting, looking slightly shaken. Adam and Jake are both standing with their arms crossed. You hurry over to them.

"What happened?" you ask.

"Faye. She...she's gone," Melissa stammers.

You feel this unexpected, deep sense of worry. You look at Cassie, questioningly, confused.

"Eben...he took her," she explains, looking solemn.

And for some reason, panic, deep panic, begins to fill itself inside your chest. You try to breathe slowly, but it's hard when your heart's beating so quickly. Your mouth goes dry, and you tremble slightly. You look from Cassie to Adam, confused, scared, worried.

"What...what happened?" you demand.

Cassie explains to you that the five other witches followed Nick to a junkyard where he met Eben. Cassie came out from hiding behind the cars and used her dark magic to force the crystal out of Nick's hand. Eben threw Cassie backward, like she's done to people so many times. Blackwell was there, too, and tried to stop Eben. Faye told Adam that she would help Blackwell. By the time Cassie awoke, Eben had vanished, taking Faye, Blackwell had the sixth crystal, and Melissa had killed Nick.

You stand there, stunned, staring at the circle. You are ashamed that you were too busy crying over your problems to realize that you should've been helping the circle. But none of them seem mad at you, only concerned about Faye, and worried about what Eben would do to her.

The thought of him hurting her...You can't even think about that.

"She's gone, Di," Melissa says to you, looking close to tears. You notice Jake has tears in his eyes as well, and you feel an unexpected pang of jealously coarse through you.

You bite your lip, gulping. You want, you pray for Faye to be alive. If she isn't...

You don't remember ever feeling this strongly for Faye, like you need to protect and defend her. You never realized how much she means to you, until she's gone, possibly forever. You choke back a sob, holding in your tears. You want her back.

"So, why are we standing around? Let's go get her," you snap. Adam and Melissa both look at you in surprise, and you're surprised at yourself.

"We don't know where she is," Cassie mumbles.

It's silent for a few moments, and you process what she says. Now you're even more worried. You want Faye to be okay, you want...

Cassie's phone buzzes and lights up. You grab the phone before she can, and look at the name of the caller: **Faye Chamberlain. **Ignoring the protests of the owner of the phone, you accept the incoming call, mouthing to the others, _It's her._

"Faye?" you choke out, a little too desperately.

"No. But I have her right here," comes the creepy voice from the other end of the line. You take in a shaky breath when you realize you're speaking with Eben himself.

"Don't you _dare _touch her," you spit out.

"Bring the crystal to the ferry boat, where I killed your parents," Eben demands. You look at the others, worriedly. They give you confused looks, wondering what's going on. "Or she'll burn, like they did," he adds, threateningly.

_NO, oh no, _you think, panicking. "Why?" you say, proud that your voice remains steady. "The demons running around your brain isn't doing it for you? You need some...extra crystal magic?"

"No," whispers the raspy voice. "I like the demons very much, which is why I need one of your crystals. So you can't form the crystal skull." Then the line goes dead.

You feel your bottom lip tremble slightly, and you turn and face the others. You hand Cassie back her phone.

"What does he want?" Jake demands, already guessing you had been talking to Eben, not Faye.

"He...he wants one of the crystals," you mutter.

Cassie looks worried. "But we need all of the crystals to form the crystal skull. And the crystal skull will stophim."

You feel yourself growing agitated. You don't care about the damn crystal skull. You care about saving Faye. One way or another, you need to reach her.

"Diana?" Melissa questions. You realize you've been glaring at Cassie, your fists clenched. You relax.

"We don't have time for the crystal skull. And I don't trust Blackwell," you tell Cassie.

Cassie sighs, annoyed. "Look, that's pretty much the only way to save Faye."

"Or, we could just hand over one of the crystals!" you shout.

"There's an idea," you hear Jake mutter, sarcastically.

"Diana, he'll kill her anyway!" Cassie shouts back. She looks on the verge on tears. "He'll kill _all _of us!"

You realize she's right, and you relax visibly. But inside, you're screaming to do something. Faye needs to stay alive. She needs to be alright. You need her in your life. _Where the hell did that come from? _you think, surprised at your desperation for the girl.

"Fine, but how long will it take for the crystal skull to be ready?" you demand.

Cassie shrugs.

"Cassie!" you shriek. "We don't have that much time!"

"Okay, okay, I'll talk to my..._our _father," Cassie snaps.

"He's no father of mine," you say, coldly. Cassie looks hurt, but you don't care.

"Maybe Jake, Adam, and I should go to the boat to make sure she's alright," Melissa offers, trying to sound optimistic. "And you and Cassie work on that crystal skull."

"No way," you protest. "I'm coming. I need to see Faye, to see if she's okay."

The others look at you, shocked, and you can't blame them. You and Faye never got along well, and neither of you ever seemed to care about the other. But here you are, wanting so badly for her to be okay, and you don't care whatever else happens, as long as she's alive.

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**A/N: Reviews? :)**


	3. A Different Way To Look At Life

**A/N: Sorry for such a short chapter. The next will be longer. Please REVIEW. **

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Diana's P.O.V.

It ends up being you, Melissa, and Jake who decide to try and save Faye. Adam ends up staying behind with Cassie, to make sure she'll be okay alone with Blackwell.

The three of you had decided to check the abandoned boat, because that was where Eben had tried to kill the previous circle - your parents - sixteen years ago.

Jake drives, and you sit next to him, hands clenched in your lap. Melissa sniffles slightly, quietly, in the back. Grabbing some tissues from the front of the car, you twist around in your seat, handing them to her.

"Thanks," she says, softly. She looks at you with grateful eyes.

"We'll find her," you promise. Even though you know you _can't _promise that, it seems to reassure Melissa, if only a little.

"I hope so."

You twist back around, the nerves in your stomach ceasing to settle down. Despite your comforting words, not two seconds ago, you doubt you'll be able to reach her in time. The cool glass of the car window helps calm you down a little as you press your forehead against it.

"There's a storm coming," Jake points out, glancing up at the sky.

You bite your lip. A storm is just _perfect _right now.

Not.

You glance at Jake. His hands are clutching the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles white, and his face is hard, staring straight ahead.

He's just as worried as you are. All of you are worried.

"What're we going to do once we _do _find her?" you ask Jake, quietly. You don't want Melissa to overhear.

"Whatever it takes for Faye to be brought back to us, safely."

There's been a question for the past few hours, burning in the back of your throat. "Do you know why Faye decided to stay and help Blackwell?"

"Last night?"

You nod.

"I'm not sure. You'll have to ask her when - _if -_ you see her again."

"Way to lay it out gently, Jake."

He barely smiles. "We kissed last night."

"What?"

"Last night. At prom? Yeah, we kissed."

Jealously burns inside of you, but you force it down. Why should you be jealous? You've never had a thing for Jake, and you _can't _have any feelings for Faye... can you? Confused by these thoughts, you fiddle with your jacket.

"Why are you telling me this? It's not like we're friends."

Melissa sits forward suddenly, looking at Jake. "Did you just say that you kissed Faye?"

You want to sigh, loudly. You're really, _really _not in the mood for drama and gossip right now. Instead, you just look back out the window.

"Um, yeah..." Jake says, with a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Well, it's about time!" Melissa practically shrieks, all worries apparently forgotten for the moment. "She's been in love with you for, like, two year now - don't tell her I said that."

"Don't worry; your secret's safe with me," he replies, smirking.

You want to roll your eyes in disgust. You want to gag. _It's not jealousy, _you try to tell yourself.

Melissa leans back in her seat, and you can hear her sigh, contently. Your eyes widen when you see the abandoned boat coming up in view. Rain starts to splatter on the car windows, and you can hear the sound of thunder in the distance. The sky grows darker with each second passing by, and flashes of lightning start becoming the only useful light.

You shiver in your seat, and see Jake do the same. You glance at each other, then back at Melissa. The three of you nod, understanding.

"Ready?" Jake asks, and you brace yourself. "Let's go!"

The three of you then race out the car, practically flying into the abandoned boat.

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Cassie's P.O.V.

The crystal skull pulses dangerously in your hands. You can feel it's power, and it feels _good. _Blackwell stares at you with a satisfied smirk on his face, while Adam hides in the shadows, watching you. _Damn those beautiful eyes of his_, you think. No wonder you're nervous. Maybe you'd be totally fine if he wasn't watching you, staring at you. You swallow, quietly.

Blackwell takes the skull from you, and places it on a small table. The beautiful, breath-taking energy you'd felt moments ago is sucked out of you. You frown in disappointment.

"Can't I hold it for another minute?"

"I need to do a spell on it," Blackwell explains.

You sigh, impatiently, and he glares at you. "Do you want to save your friend, or not?"

You shrug, not caring at the moment, and you feel Adam glance your way, surprised. Ignoring him, you flop in a chair, staring, hard, at the skull. Blackwell has your mother's book in his hand, and begins circling around the table, around the skull. He begins muttering to himself. Is he chanting? You feel even more impatient.

Suddenly, the crystal skull begins turning black. You almost gasp in surprise, and you sit up, leaning close to the table. Blackwell stops his ridiculous muttering, and watches you as you stare at the skull in awe, in amazement.

"Can I... can I touch it?" you whisper. Without waiting for an answer, you reach out, and stroke the now-smooth crystal. You can feel it's power, and all it does is make you want more.

Blackwell laughs when you cradle it in your arms, lost in thought.


	4. Desperate Times

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews. More action and violence next chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Secret Circle.**

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Faye's P.O.V.

The first thing you see is her. Diana. She rushes in, looking around, panicked. When her eyes land on you, they look relieved. You offer her a tiny, weak smile. She gives you a small smile back, and your heart melts. You wish you could reach out and touch her.

_Are you okay? _she mouths. You nod, but she stares at you, disbelieving. Well, why would she believe you, when you've got blood all over you, cuts all over your face, and bruises all over your body?

Jake rushes in the room, quietly, followed by Melissa. They both stare at you, also relieved. Jake looks like he wants to kiss you, but you don't feel any desire to kiss him back. All you want is the tall brunette standing in front of you, staring at you with worry in her chocolate eyes.

Diana is the one you want.

"We're going to get you out of here," Diana whispers. You nod, relieved.

She rushes forward, quietly, but when she tries to untie you, she gasps out.

"What?" you whisper, worriedly.

She doesn't reply, just stares at ropes.

"Diana?"

"Th-there are..."

"Just spill it, Di," you say, beginning to freak out.

"Demons. All over the ropes."

_Oh, my god, _you think, screaming silently.

"A-are there any on me? On my clothes?"

"It doesn't look like it."

You breathe out a small sigh of relief. But then you realize Diana can't untie you.

Fuck.

Melissa and Jake look confused.

"Diana? What's wrong?" Melissa whispers.

Diana shakes her head, and motions for Melissa to come over to where you and Diana stand. She and Jake walk forward, slowly. When they see the ropes, Melissa begins crying silently, and Jake just looks angry.

You understand why Melissa is crying. Nick had died because of one. Melissa had been possessed by the same one. The thoughts of Nick and the demons remind you of what you saw in the woods, and you unintentionally shiver.

"Melissa," you murmur. "It's okay." She shakes her head, disbelieving.

"Nick died because of a demon."

"I know."

"I don't want you to die because of one, too."

You feel your heart soften, and you glance at your best friend. "Di won't let that happen."

Diana smiles, and your heart just melts that much more. You bite your lip, and taste dried blood.

"How did Eben get so many demons?" Jake asks.

You hesitate. "I-I think I know." The other three look at you, curious.

"How?"

"I tried - and even managed - to escape. I had run into the woods, and I..." you trail off, remembering. A shiver runs down your spin again.

"You don't have to tell us, if you don't want to," Diana says, looking at you with worried, brown eyes. You get lost in her gaze for a second, but shake out of it.

"N-no. I have to tell you what I saw. It was dark, and I was running, faster than I've ever run before. My foot bumped into something, and I almost tripped. It didn't feel right, like, anything normal. You know? So...so, I looked down, and..." you trail off again, close to tears.

"What did you see?" Diana asks in a hushed voice. She squeezes your hand for comfort, and you swallow.

"It was... a dead body. It...it had been ripped open," you say, tears starting to fall. "Someone had opened the body, and I could see...everything. The dead heart, the bones, the muscles. And...and I saw de-demons. Everywhere."

"Oh, my god," Diana says, while you begin to sob, softly.

Jake looks like he's going to throw up. "So...it must've been a dead witch you saw."

Melissa has tears trickling down her face. "Maybe Eben hunts down witches possessed by demons and kills them, rips them open, and takes their demons."

"_No," _Diana says, a bit desperately. She gets up, and, ignoring the demons, begins tugging at the ropes holding you captive.

"Diana...Di? What are you doing?" you demand. "Don't be stupid!"

"I'm not letting the same thing happen to you," she snaps. Melissa looks up, a determined look on her face, and begins pulling on the bound ropes too.

"You guys..." you sigh. _They're going to kill themselves,_ you think. You can't let that happen.

"Jake, keep a lookout to see if Eben or any of his witch pals are coming," Diana orders. Jake looks at you, worried, but does as he is told.

"We have to make sure the demons don't end up on _any _of us," Melissa whimpers, more to herself.

You stand there, trapped, feeling helpless. They shouldn't be trying to save your life. They should be worried about saving their own. You don't want them to die for you. That's just stupid, and oddly...touching.

"Do you think he did the same thing to Nick the other night?" Melissa murmurs.

"Probably," Diana snarls, in an angry and disgusted tone. "God, how sick do you have to be to do something like that?"

"If either of you get worms in your brain, don't come crying to me," you snap.

Diana leans forward, and whispers in your ear, "Faye, sooner or later you'll have to realize that we're a circle, and we have to protect each other, because that's what a bound circle does."

You shiver at the contact of lips to your ear.

"Diana, these ropes aren't coming undone," Melissa interrupts, and Diana steps back, and you feel the loss of warmth of her touch. You roll your eyes.

"Are you witches, or useless frogs? You have magic, so _use it."_

You can practically feel both girls' smiles, and you almost smirk yourself.

They grab hands. Just as they're about to chant, Jake rushes back in the room.

"We have a problem."


	5. It's Not Your Fault

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews. You people are lovely. Here's a longer chapter for you all.**

**_Spoiler_: Character death.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Secret Circle.**

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Diana's P.O.V.

The first thing you see when you rush into the other room, leaving Faye stranded with Melissa, is Cassie, holding a black skull. She's staring straight at Eben, who looks slightly nervous and mostly scornful, and the other witch hunters. There's something off about her, the way she stands there with it, her eyes glinting dangerously. You realize she's holding _the_ crystal skull.

"Cassie?" you whisper, tentatively, horrified. She doesn't even blink or flinch in the slightest.

That's when you notice Blackwell standing there, in the corner, a small smirk fighting its way on his lips.

"What did you do to her?" you growl at the man. He turns to you, his smile fading.

"_I _didn't do anything, darling - "

"Don't call me 'darling'." You are no fucking way in hell related to the disgusting man before you. He doesn't have the right to call you something a father would call his daughter.

He sighs. "Fine. She's the one who picked up the crystal skull, and became captivated by it. I merely just did a spell to make the skull...active."

You almost snort; was that his pathetic attempt to try and cover up the truth? Whatever. You walk over to Cassie, and gently try to pry away the skull from her.

"Don't," she hisses, backing away from you.

"Cass - "

"I said, _don't!" _she screams.

Suddenly, you feel yourself flying backwards, crashing against a wall. You lay there, on the floor, weakly. The sound of angry shouts echo through the room, though you can't really tell what's going on, because when you try to sit up, your vision is fuzzy. The sound of racing footsteps gets close, and you look up to see none other than Faye standing next to you. She grabs you and hoists you up.

"How'd you get out?" you manage to choke out while squeezing the life out of her in a tight hug. You're so happy and relieved she's alright, you forget about how much pain you're in for a second.

"Don't ask questions when you're obviously in pain and very injured," Faye murmurs, worry in her eyes. "There's time to talk later."

"If we make it out alive," you point out. She rolls her eyes at you. You almost smile; the old Faye is back.

"Diana, you need to stay here. Lean back, and - " Faye grabs a dirty rag she must've found on the boat. " - put this against the wound on your head. It's bad. I'm going to help the others."

"No way," you protest, struggling to stand up. "I'm coming too; I'm a witch who's circle is in trouble. I need to help."

"Diana - " Faye begins, but you hold up a hand.

"I'm _fine, _Faye. Really. It's just a small injury on my head; nothing major. You really don't need to worry."

Faye huffs. Then sighs. Then shrugs. "Okay, whatever." Now it's your turn to roll your eyes.

"Really?"

She smirks. "Really."

/

_Okay, maybe Faye was right. This was _not _a good idea, _you think, several minutes later. You're busy trying to avoid the suddenly-released demons, and your head feels like it's on fire.

"Diana!" Faye calls out. You turn towards her, and gasp when you see a giant snake slither toward you, its tongue sticking out. It hisses loudly at you, and you back up.

"Faye! Help me!" you scream, petrified. You cannot _stand _snakes.

Faye looks around wildly, and glances down. She curses under her breath.

"Faye?" you whisper in fear, as the snake inches forward.

You see Faye race over to the corner of the room, and pick up a high-heeled shoe. Then she tiptoes over, about to stab the snake with the heel, when it suddenly spins around, facing her, and hisses. You almost gasp, worried for Faye, but manage to hold it in. You motion for Faye to throw the shoe to you, but she shakes her head, and you nod silently, your mouth an 'o'. The snake's attention would be on the shoe being thrown, and it'd turn back and face you. Not a good idea.

But what if you faced it head-on?

As if reading your mind, Faye races toward the throat of the giant snake with the sharp heel, and digs it in. The snake lets out a choking cry, but stays upright, snarling at the girl.

You realize that considering that the snake is probably a demon, you'd have to drown it or burn it in fire to actually kill it. You mouth to Faye, _demon. _

She nods, then, bravely, in my opinion, grabs the snake, and rushes outside, past the others. You stand alone now, surrounded by small demons. How the fuck are you supposed to escape?

Cassie's just standing in the middle of the room, cradling her precious skull. Melissa and Adam are both fighting off their own demons. Where's Jake?

Then you notice it's been several minutes and Faye hasn't returned. You gulp, realizing you'll have to fight the little black worms on your own. But how? Then, you notice Blackwell. Oh, right. Your dark magic. The demons edge closer, and you get more nervous. You've never actually used your dark magic before, so you don't really know how you can stop all of these demons. The panic starts to settle in your stomach, and you closer your eyes, fearful. When you open them again, the demons are gone.

Gratefully, without caring _how _they disappeared, you race outside to the deck of the ship.

That's when you see a huddled, shivering Faye against the railing of the dock of the ship, bruises covering her pale arms.

_What the hell?_ you think. You follow where her eyes are looking, and then you freeze.

Jake growls and jumps at Faye, and she screams and runs.

"Faye!" you call out.

_Is Jake possessed by demons? Should I drown him?_

Cassie Blake walks out, suddenly, still carrying that damn crystal skull. Her cold, emotionless gaze is on Jake, and you notice the skull pulsing slightly beneath your hands.

Well, at least now you know what's wrong with Jake. He's possessed by possessed Cassie. You snap out of your thoughts when Faye screams, and you race over to where Jake holds her down, cutting her throat open. He's about to place a demon he has in his hand in her throat, when you yell at him to stop.

The storm that suddenly occurs comes so quickly, you know it was created by you. A bolt of lightning pierces Jake, and he screams. He's thrown backward, bashing his head against the side of the ship.

You run over to him, and check his pulse; he needs to be okay, he needs to stay alive. When you can't feel a pulse, you begin to panic again.

"Diana?" Faye rasps, quietly. She's a little ways away, on the floor, blood pouring out of her throat, slowly.

"Faye!" you gasp. You sprint over to her, and you take off your jacket. "Keep this pressed to your throat," you order. "Or else you'll bleed out to death." She chuckles weakly.

"Where's...where's Jake?"

_No, oh no, oh no, _you think frantically, remembering how bad of a condition he's in. You kiss Faye's forehead, and murmur "I'll be right back."

Racing back over to Jake, you begin pressing on his chest, pushing harder and more frantic every time you check for a pulse and there is none. _Oh, god, oh fuck. _

What have you done?

After pressing harder, you begin to cry, knowing that at some point, you'll have to stop trying and let Jake go. But you can't.

You can't believe you just killed Jake.

The tears start pooling in your eyes, and fall down your _knew _dark magic was pure evil. And you still lost control when you saw how badly 'Jake' was treating Faye.

"Diana?" Faye calls out, weakly.

You realize the sun's come back out and the storm's gone when you feel someone looming over you, and you can see their shadow. You glance up to see Cassie, her blue eyes wide, and her face pale.

"Oh, my god."

"It's my fault," you say, but Cassie shakes her head.

"It's mine. I-I let the skull take over me..."

"...I caused the storm, Cassie."

"I was the one who made him _have _to be stopped."

"I'm the one that killed him."

"Diana?" Faye calls out, again, her voice stronger. Crying, you fall to the floor on your knees. You hide your face in your hands, and sob. "What's wrong, Di?"

Too weak, emotionally, to stand up, you crawl your way over to Faye, and lay your head on her chest. "He's dead."

"Jake?" Faye whispers.

"It's my fault," you say, quietly.

"No it's not," Faye replies, firmly, while tears start falling quietly down her face.

"I yelled out, and the storm came," you mutter, ignoring Faye. "The lightning struck him. I caused the lightning. It's my fault."

Faye wraps her arms around you, and you close your eyes, feeling comfort in the warmth of her hug. You breathe in her familiar scene of lavender and vanilla, and you bury your face in her neck. She strokes your hair gently, as you feel more tears leaking out of your eyes. She wipes them away with a slender finger.

"It'll be okay," she whispers.

"It's my fault," you repeat.

"It's not," she whispers in your ear, and you shiver, unintentionally.

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**A/N: Remember to click the big, purple button below. Reviews are part of the reason I'm motivated to write more.**


	6. Confessions And Broken Hearts

**A/N: Special thanks to venus30 and everydaydreamer for always reviewing and being so supportive.**

**This will probably be the third to last chapter.**

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Diana's P.O.V.

You're still laying on the floor next to Faye, your head on her stomach, while her hand strokes your hair. She keeps whispering that it's not your fault, that he's not dead because of you. But you know she's lying; he _did _die because of you, and even if it _was _an accident, that doesn't change that fact that you caused his death. So, you continue to blame yourself.

Cassie's sobs are loud; too loud. They're constant reminders that Jake really _is _gone.

"What the hell happened?" Blackwell yelled, running towards you. He looks angry and worried, his face flushed a deep shade of red. He has a black eye, and bruises all over his face and arms.

"What happened?" you whisper ominously, sitting up. You're so angry, you can't think straight. "What _happened?" _How dare he ask such a thing? As if he didn't know what he was doing when he let Cassie hold the crystal skull. As if he didn't know that Eben would try to capture you all, and that you all had to fight. As if he didn't know that your dark magic was still something you were working on.

"Here's what's _happening," _you snarl. And, ignoring everyone else, too angry to listen, you stand up and walk over to Blackwell. You then shove him as hard as you possibly can, screaming, "You fucking murderous, lying bastard! This is all _your _fault!" He goes flying backwards, hitting the railing of the deck, looking frightened for the first time since you've ever seen him. And this gives you satisfaction. You want his blood.

You loathe ever being related to him. You hate him for causing pain between you and your ex-father. You hate him for controlling Cassie, for always making her believe that he would be there for her, when he's just out to use her. You hate him for knocking up your mom and Cassie's. You hate him for causing the deaths of half of the witches in the previous circle.

You want him _gone. _

"Get the fuck _out of Chance Harbor!" _you roar, furious. More than furious. "It's your fault Jake's dead! It's your fault I fucking killed him, because he was being possessed by a possessor, who was possessed by your _damn crystal skull!" _Tears are trailing down your cheeks by the time you finish shouting this, spit flying out of your mouth. Glass shards begin flying up from windows, that broke due to your screaming, and start flying in his direction. He turns and walks calmly away. And you let him. You can't kill someone else. Not even him.

You begin crying then, angry, sad, furious, depressed. You've never _really _known Jake, but you've always known he was a decent human being, caring. Even when you and the circle thought of him as just a witch hunter, disloyal and dangerous, you knew he was alright. At this moment, right now, you wish more than anything that you'd given Jake a chance. That you'd tried to talk to him more, and include him more. You don't think you'll ever be able to forgive yourself for, even accidentally, killing Jake.

Then you feel strong, warm arms wrapping themselves around your waist, gently dragging you backward. You almost stumble on top of a foot, and you spin around, gazing into the eyes of Faye.

"Diana, I'm right here," she whispers. You sniffle and sigh, your face in her chest, her arms wrapped tightly around you. You feel safe and protected. "I'm right here."

And you believe her.

You look down at her, tears trailing down your cheeks. "D-do you know what happened to Eben and the other witch hunters?"

She sighs. "They escaped. They fled when the storm almost knocked the ship over."

"Cowards," you hiss. Faye nods her head fervently, agreeing with you.

"They act all tough, but when really bad things come, they hide. We're better than that. We're better than _them." _

You look back at Cassie, who's resting her head on Jake's dead body, crying. "Poor Cassie," you breathe.

"I know; she was the only one close to him."

You frown and glance back at Faye. "I thought you and Jake had a long history, way back?"

"Like you said, it was _history, _Diana. He hurt me a lot of times. We weren't even really a thing. I really liked him, but he treated me like crap. Then, suddenly, one day he was gone, off the face of the earth for...what? Two years? More? He left me, alone, and crying for days on end - " you frown at this part, " - and when he came back, I'd gotten over him. He was only there for Nick - at the time. And plus," she adds with a husky whisper in your ear, "I had my sights set on someone else." Although you're quite shocked at this (for obviously she's talking about _you_), you can't help but shiver as her lips touch your ear.

"You...you liked me?" you whisper.

Faye breathes out, slowly. She looks nervous. "I... still do."

"Oh," is all you can say. Without even realizing it, you're slowly releasing yourself from her grip.

She bites her lip, anxious. "This...this doesn't change anything, does it? I-I mean..." she trails off uncertainly.

"No, of course not," you say, while backing up still. Faye looks hurt.

"I know we were never friends, but I don't want what we have, however small of a relationship that may be, to be ruined by some stupid feelings," she says, a bit desperately.

You avoid her gaze, as you turn around and walk to Cassie. You whisper in her ear, telling her that you're sorry for what you did, and even when she says you didn't do anything, you shake her off. You tell her to call you. Then you get back up, glance at Faye, and walk over to the dock, ready to leave. Pausing, you turn back and face the other tall brunette.

"I can't right now, Faye," you say, your voice hard.

She nods, looking close to tears. And your heart breaks.

The truth is, you want to be with her just as much as she wants to be with you. You can see it in her eyes, behind the tears and pain. But you're scared. You've never liked girls until this moment (or, at least you think you haven't), and you don't know how to deal with these unexpected feelings.

And then there's the fear that you'll accidentally hurt her, whether physically, or emotionally. What if you get so angry at her, you lose control and almost kill her, with just your mind?

But the main fear you have is that if you open yourself up to someone again, that you'll only get your heart crushed.

And you can't allow that to happen.


End file.
